Velvet

The regional premiere of the BBC's "Tipping the Velvet," the story of a young woman's lesbian awakening in Victorian England, comes to Smith College in Northampton, Mass., this weekend. Adapted from the novel by award-winning, lesbian author Sarah Waters, the three-hour drama stars Rachel Stirling (actress Diana Reeves' daughter, second from right) as Nan, a young woman who dares to follow her heart in matters of desire, love and sexual identity. Co-stars include, from left, Jodhi May, Keeley Hawes and, at right, Anna Chancellor.

For a quick Lou Reed fix, you could make a beeline straight for the heart of the Velvet Underground canon ("The Velvet Underground" or "Loaded," for example). You could sift through local FM stations looking for "Walk on the Wild Side" (it's playing somewhere, guaranteed). You could gamble $1.99 of your hard-earned cash on an LP of "New York" and play "Dirty Blvd. " over and over, or blast "Metal Machine Music" and watch the deer high-tail it out of your back yard (if that's your thing)

Mike McLelland of Springdale, Ark.,caught five bass weighing 12.75 pounds to take the lead in the professional division after the first day of the $70,000 Black Velvet Tournament of Champions on the Connecticut River. Pete Gluszek of Franklinville, N.J., weighed in with 12.71 pounds, followed by Daryl Biron of Enfield (12.32) and Jim Kuca of Ellington (10.68). Anglers, including more than 30 professionals, are allowed to fish anywhere on the Connecticut River and its tributaries.

A letter writer expressed outrage over the cost of "a top of the line" oil portrait of former Gov. M. Jodi Rell, suggesting there were less expensive alternatives [Sept. 23, "Cost Of Governor Portrait Outrageous"]. Perhaps she was thinking discount house acrylics on posterboard, or maybe fingerpaints on coated stock. Better yet, how about commissioning somebody from the starving artists' group or the Vegas guy who makes pastel portraits of Elvis and tigers on black velvet? Please, I know we're austerity-minded, but to grouse about the cost of a wonderful tradition?

The National Funeral Directors Association surveyed members in 1993 on the average cost of funerals, based on prices from members' current General price Lists, prepared to comply with Federal Trade Commission Funeral Rule regulations. The schedule of standard items listed here may be considered the average cost of an adult funeral. Most commonly selected items Average cost Nondeclinable professional service charge...............$760.66 Transfer of remains to funeral home.

Pink is back again this season -- with a vengeance. Is it just coincidence that the season is all about Jackie Kennedy, who always looked so pretty in pink? We think not. Perscriptives has issued a limited-edition makeup kit celebrating the look of Jackie. At $175, the kit is available only at Bergdorf Goodman, a favorite store of the legendary stylemaker. Perscriptives makeup artist Darac talked to us about the Jackie look. His makeup tips on re-creating definitive Jackie looks -- "Camelot," "Scorpios," "Editor In Chief" and "Fifth Avenue" -- can be found in "Jackie Style" by Pamela Clarke Keogh.

This is a season dubbed "romantic" and "Edwardian" by merchants trying to sell you clothes. "That has certainly been the focus," says Phyllis Johansen, vice president of creative merchandise for Filene's. "That look works nicely for the holidays." One thrifty way to embrace romantic notions is through accessories. The obvious choice for women is a velvet choker, a band that fits snugly around the neck, often with a Maltese cross or medallion.. "We're seeing less jewelry this season," says Kristi Szechenyi, spokeswoman for Marshalls.

Dress for Less version Faux velvet maternity swimsuit . . . $74 Polyester lace jacket . . . $76 (Above from Pea in the Pod Maternity Stores) Black wedge sandals by Impo at Marshalls . . . $16 Total . . . $166 Bathing suits for moms-to-be need to be cut just right to accommodate bodies in transition. But pregnant women complain that it's just about impossible to find a maternity swimsuit that feels comfortable and doesn't make them look like a marine mammal.

Jamie Caldwell Patten recently upgraded her skills to bring you fresh and exciting salon services. Jamie was one of the dedicated salon professionals, who attended The Redken Exchange overlooking 5th Ave in New York City. Along with other stylists from around the globe Jamie learned advanced techniques in hair design and hair color from leading experts in the salon industry. The Redken Exchange is the leading resource for learning in the professional salon industry, so it was a great opportunity for Jamie to be there.

The Velvet Touch Hair Salon, located on Kelly Road in Vernon, Connecticut has been a part of the community for over 40 years. This month, lifelong resident of Vernon, Victoria Kirby has joined Manchester local Beth Russell in ownership of the Salon. Victoria worked in the Salon as a night manager while attending Central Connecticut State University and grew up in the Salon getting her hair done since she was a little girl. This marks not only a beginning of a new era for The Velvet Touch Hair Salon, but also the first time since its inception that the Salon is no longer owned by the Tantillo and McCauley family of Tolland.

By NANCY SCHOEFFLER, nschoeffler@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, January 7, 2011

When Kat Burki was growing up in Princeton, N.J., where her father was a university professor of theology, she was accepted at a high school of visual and performing arts. But her mother, who also came from an academic background, nixed that idea. So Burki followed a traditional academic path, heading to the University of Connecticut, where she earned a degree in psychology, then a law degree and an MBA. She was working at a small law firm in New Haven, handling health care-related cases, when she and her husband, Chris Burki, began renovating old houses for themselves on the side.

That "most wonderful time of year" is fast approaching - school and church concerts that put the kids center stage, family get-togethers and social events that necessitate some "dress to impress" wardrobe effort. But there is a penny-pinching recession going on. So what's a family to do when it comes to finding their "holiday best" on a budget? The secret is resale, shopping at the growing number of consignment and thrift shops that have become more appealing places to find that outfit for the "wear it once or twice" occasion.

Any writer worth his or her salt knows the importance of the transitional phrase, the line that eases a reader from one paragraph to another and one thought to the next. Likewise, any interior designer worth his or her stripes knows the value of transitional decor - changing fabrics, furnishings and accessories to reflect the arrival of a new season, using color, texture, light and scent to shift a room from the warm embrace required of winter to the breezy lightness that reflects and enhances spring and summer.

Ralph Lauren took a romantic carriage ride to the cottages and castles of England in the showing of his fall collection in New York Tuesday, emphasizing texture and shape. Short, plaid mohair skirts were coupled with angora Fair Isle sweaters, and fitted plaid mohair jackets were worn over clingy velvet kilts. A medieval fantasy took a modern route with his velvet and suede tunics and smocks some with heraldic crests emblazened on the chest sporting crocheted chain-mail sleeves: Prince Valiant on a crusade at Barney's.

Anna Sui is feeling the Mersey beat with a mod collection of clothing the Beatles would have envied. The designer's high- energy show rumbled onto the runway with supermodel Linda Evangelista on a motorcycle as the women's fall fashion preview continues in New York City. What followed was a cohesive collection of fitted jackets, low-slung skirts and pants and little cocktail dresses that gleamed in patent leather and vinyl. Iridescent Fab Four suits and simple Twiggy shifts shimmered.

An article in the September issue of House & Garden explores whether mysterious collapses of bee populations are caused by the stresses on bees in hives trucked from farm to farm all over the country to pollinate food crops -- sort of like migrant workers -- and notes that one reason Connecticut has not had a problem may be that its beekeepers don't take their hives out of state. The article, which features Becky and Ted Jones, the owners of Jones Apiaries in Farmington, also urges home gardeners to help ease the strain on honeybees by creating bee-friendly gardens.

There are places where 1989 never ended, and Mohegan Sun was one of them Tuesday night when Velvet Revolver rolled in. True, the group didn't actually exist until 2003, when former members of Guns N' Roses and Stone Temple Pilots formed a new hard-rock hybrid, but that band is nothing if not a homage to the sound of 1989. It was a time when Los Angeles rock was ascendant, and the music mirrored the scene: It was loud, tough and a little sleazy. All those traits were in evidence during Velvet Revolver's 21-song performance, which featured the band's own tunes, songs by the musicians' previous groups and, for some reason, a Pink Floyd cover.